1
Develop a Regulatory Compliance Plan
Know what regulations are in existence and how they will impact your business. Address future laws, regulations and trends. Identify voluntary programs for compliance.
2
Conduct a Sustainability Audit
Understand how your company is currently contributing to global warming. Without understanding where you actually stand relative to the regulations, you cannot effectively manage this issue.
3
Develop a Vision Statement and Identify Sustainability Goals and Objectives
This is sometimes called a Green Master plan or Green Blue Print. How can your company meet the regulations and participate in voluntary programs, and to what extent do you want to achieve and/or exceed these goals? Integrate the goals of the company into employee job descriptions and performance evaluations. Create a goal for using sustainable materials and creating green jobs. The greening of a company is powerful marketing tool. Creating green jobs, obtaining products and raw materials from sustainable sources, using and developing renewable energy, abiding by fair trade and wage guidelines will put the corporation out in front of many business and marketing issues.
4
Develop a Management Plan
Take a 3-year period and address the who, what, where, when, how, and why of making your goals and objectives happen in that period. Hold monthly meetings on how well you keep up with those goals. Get employee input through meetings and questionnaires. Provide regular progress reports to management. Identify key individuals who are in charge of compliance, company awareness, and regulatory affairs. Create a business/community partnership with sustainability as its goal. Develop simple steps that employees can do to help curtail climate change. Have employees take a pledge that they will take certain actions to curtail global warming. Reward such actions with gift certificates for sustainable products and services.
5
Develop a Community Relations Plan
Many goals and objectives will be defined not only by corporate compliance, but by how well that compliance is perceived in the community. Use community relations to further redefine and market your company in a post-climate change business environment. Turn voluntary programs into a future regulatory program. Do not look at climate change in a vacuum. Instead, make it part of an overall sustainability program designed to make the company more in unison with the environmental setting, country, state, and town where it is located. Get the public involved in the decision-making. Be a leader. Promote a green corporate image for corporate branding.
